Among the many European travelers romanced by Egypt and the Nile, Flaubert, via his letters and journal entries from 1849, stands out. The place inspired him -- and his observations are still delightful reading, augmented by an accompanying narrative by the editor. Ostensibly in Egypt to study antiquities with his friend Maxim du Camp, he was taken in by the sensual pleasures of the place. A year later he wrote "Madame Bovary."  (EGY12, $16.00)